Apa Citation

APA 7th Edition Citation Skill

Produce correct APA7 reference entries. Accuracy first — every field matters; wrong formatting undermines academic credibility.

Workflow

For every citation request:

Step 1 — Identify source type

• URL given → web-search/fetch page, extract metadata, determine source type (webpage, news article, journal article, YouTube video, etc.)
• Source type + partial info → identify missing required fields (see templates below)
• Vague / just title → ask user what type of source

When unsure: use APA hierarchy — pick most specific category. Report on gov site = "report," not "webpage." News article = "news article," not "webpage." Use webpage template only when nothing else fits.

Step 2 — Gather required fields

* = required. † = include when available.

URL given:

1. Fetch/search page for: author(s), publication/update date, title, site/publication name, DOI or stable URL
2. Use page's actual URL (canonicalize — drop tracking params like ?utm_source=…)
3. No visible author → check bylines, meta tags, or "About" page

Fields still missing after search: ask user only for required fields that can't be inferred. Skip optional fields.

Step 3 — Format citation

Apply universal rules + source-specific template. Output citation in code block (preserves formatting), followed by plain-text version.

Universal Formatting Rules

Authors

• Format: Last, F. M.
• 1 author: Smith, J. A.
• 2 authors: Smith, J. A., & Jones, B. C.
• 3–20 authors: list all, comma-separated, & before last
• 21+ authors: first 19, …, then final author (no &)
• Group/org author: spell out fully — World Health Organization. (no abbreviation unless org uses it officially)
• No author: move title to author position (no "Anonymous")
• Editor(s) in place of author: Smith, J. A. (Ed.). / Smith, J. A., & Jones, B. (Eds.).

Date

• Year only: (2023).
• Year + month: (2023, March).
• Year + month + day: (2023, March 15).
• No date: (n.d.).
• Advance online publication: (2023, March 15). — use date available

Titles

• Sentence case: capitalize first word, first word after colon/em dash, proper nouns only
• Italicize stand-alone works: books, reports, dissertations, whole websites/journals (journal name, not article title)
• Do not italicize article/chapter titles (plain text)

DOI and URLs

• Prefer DOI over URL when both available
• Format DOIs: https://doi.org/10.xxxx/xxxxx (not old doi: prefix)
• Include URL for online sources without DOI
• Drop retrieval dates unless content changes (e.g., wikis, social media profiles, live dashboards)
• No period after URL/DOI

Punctuation

• Each element ends with period, except when ending in URL/DOI or followed by bracketed descriptor
• En dash (–) for page ranges, not hyphen

Source Type Templates

Types not listed → see references/source-types.md.

Webpage / Website

Use only when content fits no more specific category.

Author, A. A. (Year, Month Day). Title of page in sentence case. Site Name. URL

• If author = site name, omit site name
• Retrieval date (Retrieved Month Day, Year, from URL) only if content changes
• No author → begin with page title

Example:

Mayo Clinic. (2023, August 10). Caffeine: How much is too much? https://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/nutrition-and-healthy-eating/in-depth/caffeine/art-20045678

Required*: title, URL
Often available†: author, date, site name

News Article (online newspaper or news site)

Author, A. A. (Year, Month Day). Title of article in sentence case. *Newspaper Name*. URL

• Italicize newspaper/publication name, not article title
• Print edition with pages: pp. A1–A3. (no URL)
• Library database, no DOI: omit URL

Example:

Metz, C. (2024, January 22). A.I. companies are redefining what it means to be an author. *The New York Times*. https://www.nytimes.com/2024/01/22/technology/ai-author.html

Journal Article (online, with DOI)

Author, A. A., & Author, B. B. (Year). Title of article in sentence case. *Journal Name in Title Case*, *volume*(issue), pages. https://doi.org/xxxxx

• Journal name + volume italicized; issue NOT italicized, in parentheses
• No DOI → use URL; database without stable URL → end after pages
• No issue number → omit parentheses

Example:

Twenge, J. M., Haidt, J., Lozano, J., & Cummins, K. M. (2022). Specification curve analysis shows that social media use is linked to poor mental health, especially among girls. *Acta Psychologica*, *224*, Article 103512. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.actpsy.2022.103512

Book (print or ebook)

Author, A. A. (Year). *Title of book in sentence case* (Xth ed.). Publisher. https://doi.org/xxxxx

• Italicize book title
• Edition only if not first: (2nd ed.), (Rev. ed.)
• Ebooks: DOI or URL after publisher if available; no format/platform/device (Kindle, PDF, EPUB, etc.)
• Publisher: omit location; drop Inc., Ltd., Co., Publishers, Publishing Co.; keep Press and Books

Example:

Kahneman, D. (2011). *Thinking, fast and slow*. Farrar, Straus and Giroux.

Book Chapter in Edited Volume

Author, A. A. (Year). Title of chapter in sentence case. In E. E. Editor & F. F. Editor (Eds.), *Title of book* (pp. xx–xx). Publisher. https://doi.org/xxxxx

Example:

Baumeister, R. F. (2018). Self-regulation and self-control. In R. F. Baumeister & K. D. Vohs (Eds.), *Handbook of self-regulation: Research, theory, and applications* (3rd ed., pp. 3–27). Guilford Press.

YouTube Video or Online Video

Author, A. A. [ChannelName]. (Year, Month Day). *Title of video in sentence case* [Video]. YouTube. URL

• Real name + [channel name] when uploader has known real name
• [ChannelName] only when real name unknown
• Non-YouTube platforms → replace "YouTube" with platform name (Vimeo, TED, etc.)
• Use [Video] descriptor

Example:

Kurzgesagt – In a Nutshell. (2023, September 12). *The last human* [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LEENEFaVUzU

Report (government, corporate, or institutional)

Author, A. A., or Organisation Name. (Year). *Title of report in sentence case* (Report No. xxx). Publisher Name. URL

• If author = publisher, omit publisher
• Include report/document number when available
• Gov reports: use agency as author if no individual author named

Example:

World Health Organization. (2023). *World mental health report: Transforming mental health for all*. https://www.who.int/publications/i/item/9789240049338

Handling Missing Information

Output Format

Always present:

1. Formatted citation in code block (preserves hanging indent)
2. Brief note of assumptions (e.g., "couldn't confirm author first name — using initials from byline")
3. Flag uncertain/guessed fields

In-text citation (when useful)

• One author: (Smith, 2023)
• Two authors: (Smith & Jones, 2023)
• Three+: (Smith et al., 2023)
• Group author, long name: spell out first, abbreviate after: (World Health Organization [WHO], 2023) → (WHO, 2023)

Less Common Source Types

Podcasts, social media posts, dissertations, conference papers, blog posts, ChatGPT/AI tools, magazine articles, encyclopedia entries, etc. → read references/source-types.md before formatting.